Chile: BHP, Antofagasta and Albemarle sued over alleged excessive water use and environmental damage
Résumé
Date indiquée: 11 Avr 2022
Lieu: Chili
Entreprises
Albemarle - Parent CompanyProjets
Salar de Atacama - OperationConcerné
Nombre total de personnes concernées: Chiffre inconnu
Communauté: ( Chiffre inconnu - Lieu inconnu , Exploitation minière , Gender not reported ) , Ecosystem: ( Chiffre inconnu - Lieu inconnu - Secteur inconnu , Gender not reported )Enjeux
Accès à l'eau , Pollution des eaux , Peuples autochtones , Clean, Healthy & Sustainable EnvironmentRéponse
Response sought: Non
Type de source: Regulatory action
Résumé
Date indiquée: 11 Mar 2022
Lieu: Chili
Entreprises
Antofagasta Minerals (part of Luksic Group) - Parent CompanyProjets
Antucoya - OperationConcerné
Nombre total de personnes concernées: Chiffre inconnu
Communauté: ( Chiffre inconnu - Lieu inconnu , Exploitation minière , Gender not reported ) , Ecosystem: ( Chiffre inconnu - Lieu inconnu , Exploitation minière , Gender not reported )Enjeux
Accès à l'eau , Pollution des eaux , Clean, Healthy & Sustainable Environment , Peuples autochtonesRéponse
Response sought: Non
Type de source: Regulatory action
Résumé
Date indiquée: 8 Avr 2022
Lieu: Chili
Entreprises
Minera Escondida (joint venture between BHP, Rio Tinto and JECO Corp) - Parent CompanyProjets
Escondida - OperationConcerné
Nombre total de personnes concernées: Chiffre inconnu
Communauté: ( Chiffre inconnu - Lieu inconnu , Exploitation minière , Gender not reported ) , Ecosystem: ( Chiffre inconnu - Lieu inconnu , Exploitation minière , Gender not reported )Enjeux
Accès à l'eau , Clean, Healthy & Sustainable Environment , Peuples autochtonesRéponse
Réponse demandée : Oui, par Journalist
Lien externe vers la réponse: (En savoir plus)
Mesures prises: Escondida said "it is fully convinced that it has acted in accordance with its obligations" and that it had technical studies showing there was no deterioration in the Tilopozo area of the aquifer.
Type de source: News outlet
"Chilean State sues BHP, Antofagasta mines over Atacama water use" 8 April 2022
Chile is suing mines operated by BHP (BHP.AX), Antofagasta (ANTO.L) and Albemarle (ALB.N) over alleged environmental damage caused by their operations in the northern Salar de Atacama salt flats, a court said...
The State Defense Council (CDE) launched its legal action in the environmental court over the pace of extraction from the Monturaqui-Negrillar-Tilopozo aquifer - an important source of ground water - it said had impacted the fragile ecosystem...
Increased exploitation "caused serious, permanent and irreparable deterioration of the aquifer, of the Tilopozo plains, of the fauna, and of the life systems and customs of the Peine Indigenous Community," the First Environmental Court said, citing the lawsuit. "The extraction of various amounts of water by the sued mining companies would have caused damage that was foreseeable, since they were aware of the maximum limit of descent that the aquifer could have," it added.
Antofagasta's Zaldivar copper mine said in a statement on Friday that it had extracted water in accordance with what was allowed in its permits, adding that there was "no evidence of environmental damage."
Escondida, the world's largest copper deposit controlled by BHP, said "it is fully convinced that it has acted in accordance with its obligations" and that it had technical studies showing there was no deterioration in the Tilopozo area of the aquifer.
Albemarle, one of the main lithium miners in Chile, did not immediately respond to a request for comment...
In March, Chile's environmental watchdog SMA fined Escondida for exceeding the maximum level allowed for water extraction since 2005. Also last month, the SMA filed charges against Albemarle for irregularities in its operation at the salar. The CDE, a state body answerable to Boric, is demanding that the environmental damage be made good and that the mining firms take steps to ensure such events are not repeated...